


Runaway

by persephone325



Series: Winter One Shots [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Blood, F/M, Self-Harm, Threat of Rape, Violence, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 14:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3330248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephone325/pseuds/persephone325
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night Eva and Bucky met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> So, this one shot is rather loosely based on some nasty experiences I had with my mother. I apologize if anything is triggering.

Eva couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her face as she hurridly stuffed what clothes she could in a blue backpack. The pounding on the door made her heart beat even faster than it already was.

"Open...the door!" Each word was emphasized by a fist pounding against the wood. Eva wiped her eyes and zipped up her bag, ignoring the woman on the other side of the door. She knelt down and grabbed a box from under her bed. Opening it, she grabbed everything out of it; a wad of crumpled up money, and some precious trinkets from her father. Among some other things. She tossed the box at the wall, opening up a hole in the already crumbling and cracked drywall. Eva shoved the money in the pocket of her jeans, and put everything else in a pouch of the backpack before she slung it over her shoulder.

"You have to do this, Eva. You can't stay here." She bit her lip as she stood in front of her bedroom door. Before she could talk herself out of unpacking and staying, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. She was greeted by the sight of her mother swaying unsteadily on her bare feet. Eva resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and the stench of the alcohol reeking from her mother's pores made her want to vomit. "Excuse me, mom." Eva was able to manuver around the unsteady drunk woman.

"Where're you going?" Her mother slurred, and was able to grab a hold of one of the straps of her backpack. Eva turned to face her. Tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes.

"I'm leaving." She replied simply, jerking her bag free from her mother's grip. Quickly, she turned back around and hurried towards the front door.

"Useless..." Her mother grumbled, still stumbling after her. She leaned against the wall for support. "You just...gonna walk out on me? Like your useless excuse for a father!" Eva turned back around when she reached the door.

"Yes." Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "At least dad still talks to me. At least _he still cares about me._ He cut the poison out of his life. Something I couldn't bring myself to do." Eva paused. "Until now."

Her mother suddenly swung her arm at Eva, her hand closed tightly into a fist. But Eva was able to easily block her mother's drunken wild swing with her arm. Losing her balance, her mother fell to the floor. Her head hit the scratched and worn floorboards, making a loud thud. Eva wiped her eyes and stifled a sob as she stared down at her mother. She hadn't always been like this. Eva remembered some of the good times they used to have. Going to movies, shopping at the mall, having girl time together... Though those memories seemed so far away now.

"...useless excuse for a daughter..." She mumbed, rolling onto her back. She looked like a strange turtle, the way she kept trying to get up. "Help me up." She demanded, the words slurring together.

"No." Eva shook her head and turned back to the door, putting her hand on the handle. Her mother groaned loudly, upset at not getting her way.

"I shoulda gotten an abortion... Why did I ever give birth to such a useless, pathetic girl?" The words were like a knife in Eva's heart, the blade twisting painfully in her chest. She couldn't help the shocked and painful sob that left her lips. She opened the door, and stepped out onto the darkened street.

"Eva!" Her mother called out. "Get back here!!" She screamed like a banshee. But Eva kept walking with tears in her eyes. She didn't look back once, vowing to leave her painful past behind.

It was a balmy mid-summer evening, as Eva headed down the street. She had no idea where she was going, but knew she had enough money to stay at a cheap motel. At least for a few days. She didn't know what time it was, but knew she needed to get something to eat soon.

"Alright... Let's see here." Eva muttered to herself, looking down the block to see what was open. A brightly lit sign for a pizza place caught her eye, and she headed inside.

"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked cheerfully. Eva faked a smile, and looked at the clock behind her. It was just after midnight.

"Yeah. Just a slice of cheese and a bottle of water?" She replied, tossing her long brown hair behind her shoulders. The woman nodded, and Eva handed her the money. "Thanks." Just a few minutes later, she sat down at a small table and began eating.

As she finished her food, she heard the door open behind her. Instantly, the quiet silence was broken by a group of loud teenage boys. Eva groaned inwardly, and stood up to throw away her trash. A sickening feeling grew in the pit of her stomach when she felt their eyes on her. One of them whistled at her, and tried to get her attention. But she ignored them and hurried out of the pizza place as fast as she could.

Outside, a slight breeze had started up. It felt good on her skin, and as it blew through her hair. Across the street was one of the entrances to a large park. Fireflies light up the night as they flew around the trees. Eva had grown up here, but over the past few years the area had gained a negative reputation. Vandalisms, muggings, groups of kids attacking people... The area had really just taken a blow. Eva sighed, deciding to cut through the park as a shortcut to a nearby motel.

"Hey baby! Where you going?" A voice called out to her. Eva looked over her shoulder and felt her stomach drop. The group of boys from the pizza place were headed over towards her. There were about four of them, and they all wore dark hoodies. Eva turned back around and picked up the pace as she neared the center of the park.

 _Just ignore them, Eva. Keep walking... Keep walking..._ She repeated to herself, keeping her eyes locked straight ahead. Before she could react, she could see their shadows approaching her. Her pulse raced, and she shivered with fear.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" The tallest of the four stood in front of her, effectively stopping her from moving forward. She could sense one of the boys behind her, and two were one her right side.

"I'm just..." Eva looked around nervously. She stepped to the left to walk around the boy, but he mirrored her and blocked her off again. "I'm just trying to get somewhere." She said, her voice timid and shaky. The boy behind her ran his hand through the back of her hair. Eva shrugged him away, feeling panic overwhelm her.

"You're to pretty to be out here all by yourself, dollface." The boy in front of her reached out to stroke her cheek. But Eva smacked his hand away and took a step back. His expression changed from a fake smile to a hard, angry looking glare.

"Oho..." The boys chided, making it seem like Eva had done something bad and was about to get in trouble for it. Before she realized what she was doing, her feet and legs were carrying her away from the boys. She sprinted off to the left as fast as her legs could take her. She could hear the pounding of feet right behind her, and she dared not look back.

Suddenly, her body collided with the grass and she squirmed underneath the weight of one of the boys pinning her down. She felt him pull her bag off her shoulder, and could see him hand it to one of the other boys out of the corner of her eye.

"Get her up." The tall boy said. The boy pinning her down stood up, and grabbed her roughly by the hair. Eva yelped and got to her feet.

"Please... I'm just trying to get to the motel..." She whimpered, angry at having told them where she was going. But it seemed to be a moot point now. The tall boy tossed her bag to the ground and walked towards her like a predator.

"The motel? Sounds like fun." He mocked her, tracing his finger along the side of her neck and following the collarbone until he tugged at the fabric of her shirt just above her breasts. "But we could have fun right here instead. What do you think?" He asked, reaching behind him. Eva moved her hands to push him away. But the boy behind her grabbed her arms and held them behind her back.

"Wait, wait, wait! Please!" Eva trembled, struggling with the boy restraining her. The two boys off to the side just seemed interested in watching. Her eyes darted around, trying to spot anyone who might be nearby. Anyone who's attention she could grab.

"She's shaking like a leaf." The boy restraining her laughed and nuzzled into her hair. Eva felt the tears sting her eyes.

"Please... I can give you money!" She begged, her lower lip trembling.

"Shut up!" The tall boy in front of her snapped, smacking her face. Eva cried out in pain. "I don't want your fucking money..." He whispered, pulling out a small pocket knife.

"Oh god, please..." Eva whispered, shaking her head. She stared at him fearfully. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt, and began to cut through the fabric. "NO! PLEASE!!" She let out a blood curdling scream.

"Shut up, bitch!" He barked at her, holding the knife up to her neck. Eva whined softly, but nodded slowly in compliance. She closed her eyes, and could hear the fabric of her shirt ripping. Suddenly, she let out another scream. She was panicking, and felt like she couldn't control her body.

"I'm gonna stab this bitch..." The boy restraining her said. Eva kept her eyes shut as she felt him release her, and she fell to the ground. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed. She braced, waiting for the pain of the knife. But it never came. She heard what sounded like fighting, and thought the boys were arguing with each other.

"We gotta go! We gotta _GO_!" One of the boys said, panic in his voice. Eva slowly opened her eyes. One of the boys was lying face down in the grass. Her backpack was next to him, and she crawled over to it. She frantically searched through the pouches until she found her razor blade. She held it in her trembling hands as she scanned the area for the other three boys.

One was hobbling out of the park. His ankle was twisted into an unnatural position, and his arm flopped limply at his side. The third boy was laying on his back on the completely opposite side of the park. The fourth boy, the tall boy, suddenly landed right in front of her. His wrist was obviously broken, and his face was covered in blood. When he saw Eva, he growled and reached out, grabbing hold of her shirt. Eva sliced at his hand with the razor, causing his to yelp and let go. She skittered back on her hands to get away from him.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a man with shaggy brown hair dressed in what looked to be all black walked up behind the tall boy. Eva locked her eyes onto him, watching as he hoisted the boy up by the collar of his shirt. His left arm was made entirely of silvery, shiny metal. She could hear his metal fingers clinking together as he balled his hand up into a fist. With one swift motion, he punched the boy. He flew backwards and landed in a heap some thirty feet away. Eva couldn't take her eyes off the man. She couldn't bring herself to move. Her hands were shaking, and she gripped the razor tightly.

"Are you all right?" The brown haired man knelt in front of her, looking into her eyes. Eva stared at him, mouth agape, eyes wide and panicked. She couldn't find her voice to reply. "It's OK now. Are you hurt?" He reached out and gently placed his hand on her arm.

"I..." Eva couldn't speak. Tears fell from her eyes, and she sobbed softly. She looked down at her shaking hands. Moving on muscle memory, she pressed the razor to the pale skin of her wrist and dragged the blade about an inch down her arm. She would have gone further, but the man grabbed a hold of her hand with the blade in it.

"Hey!" He exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing?" Eva couldn't understand why he had stopped her. She looked back up at him with confusion evident on her tearful face. He grabbed the blade from her and tossed it into the bushes. "Come on. Let me help you." He said, gently helping her to her feet. Eva felt like the world around her was spinning, and she closed her eyes until the dizziness passed. "What are you doing out here so late? Let me take you home."

"No... No... Don't take me back there." Eva trembled as she opened her eyes. She locked her gaze onto the man's bright blue eyes, with a fresh wave of tears in her own.

"Alright..." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him so he could support her weight. Eva rested her head against him. "Do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I...just wanted to get to the motel." Eva whispered, feeling the blood trail down her arm. As they walked, she could feel the cool breeze on the skin of her stomach. She looked down and saw that her shirt was cut from the bottom to just below where the band of her bra was. She felt like she was in a daze. "Why...are you here?" She asked.

"Insomnia. Was taking a walk. I heard a scream. That's when I saw..." His voice trailed off. "Why are you going to the motel?" He asked, bending down to pick up her bag. Eva bit her lip.

"I can't go home. I can't go home. I can't go home..." Each time she said it, it sunk further into her that she had no home. Nowhere to go.

"It's OK." He reassured her, as they headed down the sidewalk. "Let me take you to my apartment and clean you up. Is that OK?" He asked. Eva nodded.

"You... You look familiar." She managed to say. She thought she heard him chuckle softly.

"I'm Captain America's friend. The one with the metal arm." He replied. Eva didn't know what to say. She had just been rescued by a superhero... "James Barnes. But everyone calls me Bucky." He said.

"Eva..." She introduced herself.

"Pretty name." Bucky said. "It's nice to meet you. Let's get you to my place, clean you up, and get you to sleep." She could practically hear his smile as he spoke.

"I won't stay too long. Probably just tonight, and I'll leave when I wake up." Eva said.

"No, no." Bucky shook his head. "I know what it's like to not have a place to go to. To not have a home." Eva could hear the pain in his voice. "You stay as long as you want. I've got room to spare." He helped her up the steps of the apartment complex.

"I..." Eva started to protest, but decided against it. The two headed up the stairwell. They stayed silent until Bucky opened the apartment door. "Thank you, Bucky." She whispered, starting to cry again. He guided her to the couch, and helped her lay down.

"Let me help you." He said, gently stroking her arm. "I want to help you, Eva." His words brought the tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite knowing very little about her, Bucky felt his heart break for her. He wanted her to feel like someone cared about her life. He didn't want her to be lost, like he was.

Bucky saw a little of himself in Eva.


End file.
